Soccer is the sport of the world, but when you come to the United States, soccer falls short compared to football or baseball. Many people say soccer is just full of actors who overdramatize every foul, but there’s much more to the game.
Soccer is one of the easiest sports to learn but one of the hardest to master; it’s likely that most people played it when they were little if they don’t play it now. To some, watching players master the sport at a level that they never could is fascinating.
Soccer is two 45-minute halves of nonstop action. During those two 45-minute periods, there are no advertisements, just soccer. Other sports like football or baseball are interrupted by ads constantly throughout the games, impeding on the enjoyment of watching the sport.
In those 45-minutes the game is constantly moving from half to half.
“Any team can win,” soccer fanatic Jake Pfitzinger (’19) said. “The favorite to win might lose concentration for a split second and end up losing, or you could have a really skilled team just pick through a defense and dominate.”
If you’ve ever been to a professional sporting event like an NFL or MLB game, you know that the atmosphere of the games is enjoyable. There’s a huge group of people gathered for one common interest, enjoyment of the game.
At almost any soccer game there are people cheering, but it’s not just average cheering. Songs and chants fill the stadium to celebrate the home team and to poke fun at the opposing team.
A soccer game’s atmosphere is exponentially better. Soccer supporters go to the games for the love of the game; supporters don’t give up and leave during the game. Whether they’re winning or losing, the fans support their team until the end. Throughout the entire 90 minutes of the event, supporters cheer on their team, no matter what the score is. The only focus is those 90 minutes.
Soccer brings people together; it’s called “The Beautiful Game” for a reason. There is no other sport that brings the world together like soccer does. There is nothing like the World Cup in any of the big four sports of the United States.
For one month every four years, the world puts aside most troubles and focuses just on the World Cup. The Super Bowl, the World Series and the NBA and NHL championships all determine who is the best across the United States. The World Cup is world-wide, truly a world tournament.
It’s called the World Cup for a reason; countries from every continent compete to determine who is the best team in the world. This single event brings even those who don’t watch soccer together, something that other huge sporting events are not be able to do.
“It’s national pride in one way, but it’s also just an international celebration,” soccer fan Kyle Turnbaugh (’22) said. “Even if you’re not interested in the sport people still watch it to see their nation or a nation that they like compete.”
Soccer doesn’t just bring people together, it brings people of different backgrounds together. Soccer stretches across the entire world, reaching hundreds of nationalities, races, religions and beliefs. Teams, tournaments and leagues are all melting pots of players from around the world, while the American leagues are generally just American, other than the MLS, Major League Soccer.
Soccer might be frowned upon by many in the United States, but that might change in the future. The sport is gaining traction in the United States and is on a nonstop trip to the number one sport across all nations.